Disclosure Forms Raise Questions for Some Mayoral Candidates

John Liu, candidate for Mayor of New York speaks at an impromptu news conference at a campaign stop in the Bronx.

Financial disclosure forms released Thursday offered voters a look into the personal finances of three of New York City’s leading mayoral hopefuls – and raised questions about the role of outside groups that reimburse city officials for travel expenses.

The 2012 reports for New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio were made public Thursday by the Conflicts of Interest Board, the city’s independent ethics agency that publishes the financial information of all elected officials and other high-ranking city employees each year.

Many of the details in the 2012 reports – such as the value of Mr. de Blasio’s mortgage, which is listed as falling between $250,000 and $499,999 – are straightforward. But the meaning of other disclosures is less clear.

Ms. Quinn, for example, traveled to San Diego and Chicago last year to attend “champagne brunches” sponsored by the Victory Fund, a political action committee that works to elect openly gay and lesbian politicians to public office across the country.

The Victory Fund reimbursed Ms. Quinn between $1,000 and $4,999 in expenses for the two brunches, according to the report, events she listed as related to her official duties as Speaker of the New York City Council.

Michael Morey, a spokesman for Ms. Quinn, said in a phone interview Thursday that the speaker consulted the Conflicts of Interest Board before agreeing to allow the Victory Fund to reimburse her for the trips to San Diego and Chicago.

Mr. Morey said the board told Ms. Quinn the trips could be counted as official city business, since she was invited as Speaker of the New York City Council.

A spokeswoman for the board said the office doesn’t confirm whether city officials have approached them for guidance.

Mr. Liu, meanwhile, reported receiving between $1,000 and $4,999 from the Korean government for expenses related to a trip to the country last September, part of a tour of Asia that he took after being excluded from participating as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention over growing concerns about the federal investigation into his campaign’s fundraising arm.

Mr. Liu, according to the disclosure report, received between $1,000 and $4,999 from the government of Taiwan as well, where he also traveled last year as part of the same trip.

The comptroller, who listed the trip to Taiwan as related to his official duties, said in the disclosure form that he gave a lecture in the country as part of a “Seminar on Economic Development and Financial Development of New York City” at the Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance.

Thursday, a spokesman for Mr. Liu defended listing the travel expenses as part of city business.

“The Comptroller has and will travel near and far to promote the City’s economy,” Jack Ryan, the spokesman, said in an email to The Wall Street Journal.

The board also released financial disclosure forms for Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday, who reported his income from Bloomberg Inc., the multi-billion dollar financial media empire, as simply “$500,000 or more.”

The mayor, whose daughter Georgina competes in horse shows, also reported earning between $2,000 and $9,999 in horse show winnings. He also bought 4.8 acres of vacant land in New York last year, according to the disclosure report, the exact location of which is unclear.